[cheque]

I can confirm that dropping the rope while threading the anchor is deeply embarrassing.

  I've done it. Your mates have all the time they like to laugh at you. Will beat me to it.

Never done the going-in-direct-without-clipping-the-rope-to-the-chains-first thing though. Comforting to know there are some basic errors I haven't made. The incident database is quite good for that reassurance I'm finding- one guy on there was hanging on his ab rope over a seacliff when he realised that the belay device was only on a gearloop! 

[Oldmanmatt]

I can confirm that dropping the rope while threading the anchor is deeply embarrassing.

 

And the best bit is, it's totally up to your mates how long they leave you there before coming to the rescue.

Verdon.


1990.

Tried to retreat after biting off more than we could chew + incredibly inexperienced at multipitch.

7 hrs and some minutes.

No clip sticks. Belay was a stitch plate. Long before mobile phones.

Second had to Ab down to bottom, hike back to car, drive round and ab back down the route...

Double roped everything multipitch from then on.

[andy popp]

I can confirm that dropping the rope while threading the anchor is deeply embarrassing.

 

And the best bit is, it's totally up to your mates how long they leave you there before coming to the rescue.

Verdon.


1990.

Tried to retreat after biting off more than we could chew + incredibly inexperienced at multipitch.

7 hrs and some minutes.

No clip sticks. Belay was a stitch plate. Long before mobile phones.

Second had to Ab down to bottom, hike back to car, drive round and ab back down the route...

Double roped everything multipitch from then on.

And I thought it was bad doing it on one of those Cheedale buttresses topped by almost inaccessible vertical jungle.

[SamT]

We've all been there, some folk get away with it, others don't.

Mate lowered me off the end of the rope on the first route we did at Buoux, a route on the Styx wall that was a touch over 25m - obv being our first ever trip abroad we were using twin 50m half ropes. Classic punters  . Got lucky and didn't hurt myself. Least we weren't on La Plage or sum such!!

Another time, I was shunting a route at Rivelin whilst waiting for a partner to turn up.  I'd set up as a top rope, but just put a fig 8 in and was shunting on one side of it.  Spotted mate walking up through the trees, got to top of route and undid fig 8 so that we could top rope it.  Got chatting to mate then, as Id done the previous couple of times, lent back to just ab back down. Of course, no fig 8 anymore.  Luckily I realised just as I was leaning back and beginning to fall, and just, and I mean just, managed to grab the Krab before I was on my way backward from the top of the crag... 
That was one of the 9 gone.

[Duma]

Nothing compared to some of these but I've twice got to the lower offs and realised I was tied in to the leg loops only. Not sure what that'd be like if I'd fallen but it must at a minimum increase the chances of flipping over and smacking your head in a fall.

[Oldmanmatt]

I can confirm that dropping the rope while threading the anchor is deeply embarrassing.

 

And the best bit is, it's totally up to your mates how long they leave you there before coming to the rescue.

Verdon.


1990.

Tried to retreat after biting off more than we could chew + incredibly inexperienced at multipitch.

7 hrs and some minutes.

No clip sticks. Belay was a stitch plate. Long before mobile phones.

Second had to Ab down to bottom, hike back to car, drive round and ab back down the route...

Double roped everything multipitch from then on.

And I thought it was bad doing it on one of those Cheedale buttresses topped by almost inaccessible vertical jungle.

Still better than Dunc McPhearson and Ian Holmes (anyone remember him from the Foundry, early days?), possibly that same summer or the next; getting benighted on the top pitch of some god forsakenly polished 6c. No torches, tee shirts and shorts. Under a small roof about 15-20 mtrs below the rim. Dunc had wandered off route in the dark. Horrendously run out, freezing and unable to down climb (or move).
Only us realising something was up, back at the tents, when darkness fully set in; saved them. Rustled up a search party and took the minibus up. No one was sure what route they were supposed to be on, just fairly certain which butress.
Eventually heard a plaintive cry, almost lost in that gapping maw. Cue interesting rescue, of a truly international nature and a confusing number of ropes.
1am? Finally up. Looked like very startled mice and not a little sheepish.

Cost them quite a few rounds in the bar, the next night.

[SA Chris]

Another time, I was shunting a route at Rivelin whilst waiting for a partner to turn up.  I'd set up as a top rope, but just put a fig 8 in and was shunting on one side of it.  Spotted mate walking up through the trees, got to top of route and undid fig 8 so that we could top rope it.  Got chatting to mate then, as Id done the previous couple of times, lent back to just ab back down. Of course, no fig 8 anymore.  Luckily I realised just as I was leaning back and beginning to fall, and just, and I mean just, managed to grab the Krab before I was on my way backward from the top of the crag... 
That was one of the 9 gone.

Did almost exactly the same abbing a multipitch in the alps. Mate finished ab just as someone arrived at bolted belay station i was abbing off. Cue excahnag eof pleasantries, he put himself on bleay and I was about to abb to get out of his way. Luckily still had top hand on belay station as I pulled rope tight with bottom hand and realised I'd not attached belay device.

[Muenchener]

On the stats vs anecdotes topic: I used to work for a company that insured industrial machinery, and occasionally read the underwriting newsletters.

In the unlikely event that anybody ever lets me near a lathe, I will most definitely not be wearing a tie.

[Oldmanmatt]

On the stats vs anecdotes topic: I used to work for a company that insured industrial machinery, and occasionally read the underwriting newsletters.

In the unlikely event that anybody ever lets me near a lathe, I will most definitely not be wearing a tie.

I qualified as a Craftsman (Fitter and Turner) during my apprenticeship in the RN. On one notable occasion a certain impatient apprentice, decided to take a deep cut on the brass bar he was turning. Normally spiteful little shards and coils, his swarf came off in a neat little, continuous, ribbon; that was disappearing into the lathe bed.
Unbeknownst to him (or the rest of us concentrating and ear-doffed) it was looping straight back out of the lathe bed and had looped around him several times in a coil of around a 10 foot diameter.
A chance kink, kicked the ribbon up into the rotating chuck, which wound it up like a bobbin and cinched  him hard into the machine, like some sort of giant spider silk.
The sharp swarf cut through his overalls and would have gone through his flesh like a hot knife through butter, except it dragged him forward and onto the big red Emergency stop button that shut the whole gig down, just in time.
Still, plenty of blood.

[mrjonathanr]

Saw a girl belaying her friend as he warmed up on TCF. He must have been about 50’ up when several of us saw simultaneously that she had the belay plate clipped to her gear loop. We all pounced on her and grabbed the rope whilst it was transferred to her belay loop. Could have been nasty.

[cheque]

While rushing to abseil while making the Seaside I threaded my GriGri backwards and only realised as I leaned back over the edge on two separate occasions.  Not sure how bad it is if you load a GriGri backwards but I’m guessing it’s not great.

[Oldmanmatt]

While rushing to abseil while making the Seaside I threaded my GriGri backwards and only realised as I leaned back over the edge on two separate occasions.  Not sure how bad it is if you load a GriGri backwards but I’m guessing it’s not great.

It becomes a Go Go.

[petejh]

Was only a matter of time before this thread turned into war stories. Where's Rich Simpson when you need him, he'd have had some story about that time on the Marmolada his mate was killed by an asteroid strike, and which shattered his left shoulder (forcing him to miss the boxing team for the olympics) necessitating his down-dyno solo of the Fish route by headtorch.

Most blatant near miss (if you can call a fractured skull a near miss) among many I've seen or made, was being next to the girl from the BMC (Hannah?) when she decked from the top bolt on the slate when the 'slingdraw with rubber keeper that wasn't connected properly' failed. Exactly the same accident as that which later killed Tito Traversa.

Lowering off, abseiling, approaching/descending. Those three would be my guestimate as the highest risk activities from the stats. Rather than leading routes or difficulty of route.

[teestub]

Most blatant near miss (if you can call a fractured skull a near miss)

I’m pretty sure that, however lax your interpretation of H&S guidance, decking and fracturing your skull would not be a near miss!

[user deactivated]

Sacrilegious and Blasphemous spouting PetE. have some Negative KarmA

[highrepute]

While rushing to abseil while making the Seaside I threaded my GriGri backwards and only realised as I leaned back over the edge on two separate occasions.  Not sure how bad it is if you load a GriGri backwards but I’m guessing it’s not great.

It becomes a Go Go.

Never done it but I understood that it would function like a standard belay plate like this, so as long as you've got hold of the dead rope you should be ok.

[tommytwotone]

My other one was nipping off for a slash before leading The Sentinel at Burbage South and having a bit of a mare on it where I came as close to coming off it from the top as you can without actually coming off.

Pulled over the top, and while setting up belay realised I hadn't tightened my harness up, it was sitting snug on my hips but just on the velcro.

[SA Chris]

Be good if they can tell what lottery numbers were on day of incident

[nai]

My other one was nipping off for a slash before leading The Sentinel at Burbage South and having a bit of a mare on it where I came as close to coming off it from the top as you can without actually coming off.

Pulled over the top, and while setting up belay realised I hadn't tightened my harness up, it was sitting snug on my hips but just on the velcro.

You were obviously confused that day, not a clue where you were or what you were doing

[Will Hunt]

Those velcro things on harnesses are just the worst. Can't believe the concept ever was approved by a company making safety equipment which is basically all a harness is.

[Stu Littlefair]

You’re not wrong. In my youth when I thought things like bridge swinging were cool I jumped off a bridge with my harness just secured by the velcro.

Glad the river was deep.

[Will Hunt]

Bridge winging.

[Plattsy]

Reading some of these I was reminded of this tale by Unlucky Alf from a similar thread.
https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,12077.msg245081.html#msg245081

[Paul B]

Those velcro things on harnesses are just the worst. Can't believe the concept ever was approved by a company making safety equipment which is basically all a harness is.

When I worked in a gear shop, there was one harness that always stayed in the 'bargain bucket'. It had a clip-in type buckle reminiscent of a very quick release system. I've no idea why it never sold 

[mrjonathanr]

Vividly recall finally getting a runner - a Moac, remember them?- some 20’+ up Rowan Route on the Milestone Buttress around Christmas circa ‘82. The rain was melting the snow on the holds and I was slipping around in my walking boots, so VERY relieved to get a nut in.

Short lived relief though; I had tied on so loosely my rope had fallen off and I had to take the nut out and solo to the top.

My Scout Master wasn’t that impressed. But I’m good at tying on now